Answers to Common Questions
and Concerns after Circumcision
of the Youth, Teen or Adult
The following are accumulated answers to questions
frequently posted to CIRCLIST by men who have recently been circumcised. While
these answers are the most typical response to these queries, your own doctor
can advise you best about what to expect and how to care for your freshly
circumcised penis.
- Home from the Doctor: A
compression bandage is most commonly wrapped around the outside of the newly
circumcised penis. This is a tan, elastic bandage that helps to reduce
swelling by applying pressure to the penis. The tip of glans is exposed
permitting you to urinate in an unobstructed manner. Underneath the
compression bandage you will eventually find a white gauze bandage to soak
up any leakage or bleeding. Doctors typically recommend keeping the
bandages in place for three days post circumcision. Of course to do this
and shower, you must ensure that the penis and its bandage remain dry. A
condom is the best way to achieve this if one wishes to shower briefly. On
a minor boy, latex finger protectors (found with the band aids and other
first aid items) works well.
Immediately upon returning home, during first 12-24 hours it is advised to
keep the penis level with the heart (i.e., lay down and relax.) This also
supposedly helps reduce swelling and bruising. When the anesthetic wears
off, be prepared for burning or tingling sensation, which is often caused by
the good scrubbing the nurse gave your sensitive glans before you were
circumcised and/or the anesthetic. Most physicians provide pain medication,
but common pain relievers like Tylenol usually are sufficient. Avoid blood
thinning pain relievers such as aspirin, which could increase bruising.
- The Unveiling: It’s probably day three
or so post circumcision now, and you are about to unwrap your newly
circumcised penis. Usually you can find the end of the bandage and just
unwrap the elastic compression bandage. You may also be able to simply
unwrap the gauze bandage. However, if this is difficult you can soak the
bandages to help loosen them, then unwrap the penis. If this fails, the
bandage can be cut away with blunt scissors. When pulling the wrapping away
from the penis do so with care, as it may stick to portions of the incision
line that have bled or be caught on sutures. Once unwrapped, be prepared
for your penis to look a little sore and even bruised. Typically bruising
comes a day or more after you unwrap, and you can have bruising clear down
on the scrotum. Sometime the penis looks great when first unwrapped, but
looks progressively worse as swelling and bruising occur during the next 4-8
days. This is normal.
- Sleeping and Erections: Most newly
circumcised men find the biggest problem is the night time erections that
occur from the time the compression bandage is removed until the sutures are
removed. (If you become fully erect wearing the compression bandage and the
glans is overly swelled out in front of the compression bandage and has
become dark, it is best to remove the compression bandage to restore normal
circulation.) Usually, until the compression bandage is removed, normal
erections are not possible. Removal of the compression bandage permits your
penis to become erect during the night. You probably never realized that
you have nocturnal erections 3-8 times per night but this is perfectly
normal and healthy. The sutures however are stretched during these
erections which is rather painful. The pain will typically wake you and you
will usually immediately soften in response to the pain. You may find it
useful to either pull your knees up to your chest or to get out of the bend
and stand momentarily while the erection subsides. These night time
erections will not cause any damage to your newly circumcised penis, but
they are bothersome and the reason most men seek to remove the sutures
sooner rather than later. Occasionally, but rarely, a suture may break due
to erections. This will normally be no problem even if the wound opens
slightly as the remaining sutures will hold it sufficiently together for
healing to continue. Minor bleeding in this situation can be dealt with by
firm pressure for up to five minutes. Continued bleeding beyond that
requires re-suturing and thus a visit to a medical professional.
- Swelling of the Inner Foreskin: If you
received a ‘high’ circumcision, you have some amount of inner foreskin
lining remaining on your penis which is now pulled back down on the shaft
toward your body. This tissue is very sensitive, like the inner part of
your eye lids. While it provides ultimate pleasure, it also swells and can
be more painful during healing. Many men that have had a ‘high’
circumcision report the inner foreskin swelling and looking more like a
puffy ring of tissue bunched up behind the glans. This may be a bit
irritating but will go down in a matter of several days. Cold compresses
twice daily for 15-30 minutes may help to relieve the discomfort and reduce
the swelling of this extra-sensitive tissue.
- Underwear: If you normally wear
boxers you may find that they give insufficient support immediately
post-operative. You may wish to consider some form of briefs which will hold
your penis in position and thus reduce the frictional stimulation which it
would otherwise receive if allowed to swing freely.
- Urination: Do not be surprised if your
urine tends to spray instead of forming a neat stream for the first few
days. This is a natural result of the swelling and will correct itself as
the swelling subsides.
- The Frenulum: If you had your frenulum
removed, the physician may or may not suture the incision in this area. If
he did not, the area will very likely produce and drain lymphatic fluids.
These clear fluids may continue to drain even after you remove your
dressing, requiring you to reapply a loose dressing in this area so as not
to stain your underpants. Draining from this area is normal, as is some
additional bleeding. This is typically the last area to fully heal, due to
the depth and severity of the incision.
- Suture Removal: Sutures can be
removed between day 5 and day 15. Most physicians prefer to leave them
in longer, and most patients want them out sooner. You will have to
make this determination based on your own rate of healing and the
recommendation of your physician. Removing them sooner has the
advantage of letting you sleep easier. Additionally getting them out
sooner ensures that there will be no suture tunnels or suture marks.
The longer they remain, the more likely the sutures will leave tunnels under
the skin or at least markings where they were inserted. However,
removing them too early can also lead to the wound reopening, which is not
good.
To remove the sutures, you can go to your physician, a local emergency room
or you can remove them at home (yourself or a loved one.) Most sutures used
in circumcision are the self dissolving variety (soluble). However, these
rarely dissolve completely on their own, and certainly they are not
dissolved by day 5 or even day 10. Both dissolving and traditional sutures
need removed manually, unless of course they have dissolved on their own.
Some physicians leave long handles on the sutures, and others clip the
suture very close to the skin. Long handles make removing the sutures very
simple to do, but closely cut sutures are less of a day-to-day problem
because they don’t get caught so easily on underpants (causing you pain).
If you choose to remove them yourself then it is a good idea to initially
remove only alternate sutures to check that the wound does not open at all.
Sterilize a pair of fine pointed cuticle scissors and a pair of flat-bladed
tweezers. Wash your hands and penis thoroughly. Carefully cut through a
stitch near the knot and pull it out by grasping the knot in the tweezers.
Do not be surprised if the location bleeds a bit; in fact this is good as it
indicates that a ‘stitch tunnel’ has not yet formed. If the incision line
opens, stop and wait another couple of days before trying again - however no
harm will come from a small opening. If the wound does not open anywhere
then continue by removing the remaining sutures. After removal, there will
be some minor blood spotting and you should use a mild antibiotic
moisturizer such as Neosporin® on the incision line to ensure you don’t get
an infection. You should not use strong antiseptics, like Dettol, as these
tend to delay healing by attacking the newly forming skin at the
circumcision line. You may want to put a light gauze dressing on the
incision line if you are going to wear underpants until the suture points
form a scab or close. Additionally, regular treatment of the incision line
with a mild antibiotic moisturizer during the first several weeks post
circumcision will help the incision lines ultimate appearance.
If your frenulum was removed and there are sutures in this area, they can
sometimes be scabbed covered and not easily removed. You can wait until the
scab falls off before attempting removal in this area, or leave them to
dissolve on their own.
- Peeling:
As part of the healing process the glans will likely peel, unless you have
routinely kept for your foreskin pulled back prior to the circumcision. If
not, you can expect a sort of "dry skin" to form over the glans (between 2-4
weeks post circ typically) which will peel off. It will almost seem like
your glans had a sunburn and then peels. This is not a problem and is
perfectly normal for the newly exposed and now drying glans.
- Masturbation:
“When can I masturbate” is a very frequent question. That depends on how
quickly you are healing and how gentle you can be. Typically the sutures
must be removed before erection is comfortable, so this answer somewhat
depends upon when you removed the sutures. We typically suggest you wait at
least five days past suture removal before attempting to masturbate. The
longer you can wait the better for your penis, but perhaps not for your
state of mind. When you do masturbate, gently massage only the glans
avoiding the frenulum area if it was removed. Typically just a very light
stroke restricted to the newly bared head (touching the glans only, NOT
pumping the shaft) will be sufficient to bring you to a very deep and very
powerful first orgasm. Once you have had your first release post
circumcision, attempt to wait several more days before attempting a second
masturbation. Give your penis as much time to heal as possible. Most
physicians recommend you wait a full 30 days before returning to your
regular masturbation schedule (with lubrication or dry). No doubt your
masturbation technique will also change at this time as you learn to
stimulate your circumcised penis as slipping the foreskin up and down over
the glans is no longer possible.
- Sexual Relations:
This has most to do with how quickly you are healing and when you removed
the sutures. Most authorities say to wait 45 days post circumcision before
attempting intercourse (anal or vaginal). It is likely you won’t damage
anything if you have sex in 35 days, but as noted above, the more time you
can give your circumcised penis to heal, the better it is. Some men have
returned to intercourse (gently) by day 15, others wait the doctor
recommended 45 days. You will have to make this decision based on a number
of personal factors including your rate of healing, your spouses needs,
etc. Remember full healing can take up to six months, and you obviously
won’t be able to wait that long. Thus finding just the right amount of time
is a personal choice which you should seriously consider.
- Final Results:
Many men post questions asking when their penis will look ‘normal’ and be
fully healed. As noted above, the initial swelling and bruising will go
away in the first few weeks. You will begin to use your penis regularly for
urination, masturbation and full sexual function. However, the majority of
men on CIRCLIST report that it takes a number of months, perhaps as long as
six, before the ‘final results’ can be seen. While swelling and bruising
are gone, the penis continues to heal inside. Be patient and wait for the
final result before determining if you are fully happy with your
circumcision style.
Congratulations and enjoy your circumcised
penis!
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